Illinois
Mosaic, by DineAmic Hospitality, is a new private events venue in Chicago’s River North that features signature dishes from DineAmic Hospitality’s most celebrated restaurants, including Fioretta, Bar La Rue, Siena Tavern and more. Mosaic is a multifunctional space for 200 guests with a built-in bar.
Mosaic offers four different spaces for groups: The Gallery, Mosaic, Mosaic West and Mosaic East. All spaces are available for receptions and the later three offer settings for seated meals. The subtle, speakeasy-inspired venue features sand-toned interiors and refined lighting. The flexible space offers integrated AV and customizable layouts suitable for corporate events, social gatherings and celebrations.
[Related: Chicago Tourism Improvement District Imposes New Fee on Certain Hotel Stays]
Indiana
The Alexander, a downtown Indianapolis art hotel, completed a multimillion-dollar, property-wide renovation in late March. The renovation’s conclusion also marked the property’s debut as a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel, a fitting brand umbrella for the hotel because it functions as a living contemporary art museum featuring a unique, multimillion-dollar art collection curated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The property offers an “Art Hour,” which is a guided experience offering private tours of the hotel’s full collection, including 60 curated works and 14 site-specific commissions.
The 209 guest rooms feature redesigned bathrooms and newly commissioned artwork. The property also introduced new lighting, elevated finishes and custom carpet designs in its 16,500 square feet of refreshed meeting space. Hands-on activations were also added to elevate meetings and events at the hotel, including mixology classes, cooking lessons and custom sneaker painting.
Another new amenity onsite is the reimagined outdoor plaza with upgraded lighting, new paving and expanded greenery.
Guests can take advantage of a social lounge, Plat 99, with a refreshed layout that supports both casual and structured events in a flexible, all-day gathering space for groups. The LEED Silver-certified facility is located three blocks from the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.
[Related: Indianapolis to Open Ritz-Carlton and Minneapolis’ Marriott Conference Center Rebrand]
Minnesota
Sugar Lake Lodge announced it completed property enhancements and upgrades to guest accommodations ahead of opening for the 2026 season May 23.
Known as a destination for leadership retreats, Sugar Lake Lodge offers 96 guest accommodations and 8,500 square feet of space for meetings and events. The lodge improved its in-room entertainment by adding a property-wide DirectTV streaming service and Gigabit—extremely fast—internet.
Set on 400 acres in Northern Minnesota, the property offers more than a dozen flexible indoor/outdoor spaces for meetings and events. The lodge’s largest indoor space is the 5,250-square-foot Alexander I, II and III for groups up to 150.
A two-year renovation to the guest bathrooms will be completed by 2027. Guests can expect to see upgraded countertops, flooring, lighting fixtures, hardware and refreshed finishes designed to provide a modern, comfortable retreat.
After Labor Day weekend, the property’s schedule focuses primarily on booking corporate retreats, group events and leadership programs offering a variety of teambuilding activities, including a ropes course, boat building, golf games and more.
The Signature Sinatra Suite
The Drake Oak Brook is a 152-room Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott conveniently located within 30 minutes of O’Hare and Midway airports.
The property recently introduced an intimate space for meetings and private group dining called the Sinatra Suite. The space is named after Frank Sinatra, the legendary singer and actor whom the property once served as a retreat for.
Sinatra’s presence is reflected in the speakeasy-style lounge’s craft cocktails, two of which are named after his work, The Chairman’s Martini and the My Way Manhattan. The space features a conference lounge overlooking the property’s waterfalls and sculpture garden. Design elements feature wood finishes, leather touches and vintage details that include a wooden phone booth. The space doubles as a VIP accommodation with an adjoining bedroom and bath.
The 775-square-foot Sinatra Suite is one of 12 meeting spaces available onsite at The Drake Hotel. In total, the property boasts 12,800 square feet of indoor space and 34,000 square feet of outdoor space. The property’s largest indoor space is a 3,770-square-foot ballroom for 660 attendees seated theater-style.
